


We'll Be A Perfect Family

by RobberOfATMs



Series: Some Day Love Will Find You [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Barry Allen Needs a Hug, Barry is A Depressed Potato, Cisco's around somewhere I'm sure of it..., Eddie's not dead but he's seriously damaged, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Is Gay, F/M, Hugs, I Tried, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, I'm not sure why, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Not Really Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Wally is still a jerk, family night, just go with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 10:25:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12679986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobberOfATMs/pseuds/RobberOfATMs
Summary: Basically, Barry decides to go to Family Night after all and everything goes to shit. Barry runs to the first person he can think of: Len. Len of course listens to Barry adn supplies him with hugs, even though he isn't normally a hugger. He can tell Barry needs it.I'm sorry for my oversimplified adn horrible summaries. Rated mature for possible cussing.WARNING: THE WORK YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ CONTAINS SERIOUS HUGGING! AND SERIOUSLY UNCALLED FOR RANDOM FLUFF AT THE END. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.





	We'll Be A Perfect Family

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: THE WORK YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ CONTAINS SERIOUS HUGGING! AND SERIOUSLY UNCALLED FOR RANDOM FLUFF AT THE END. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.  
> So, that being said...This is my randomness uploaded here. I'm really sure what direction i was hoping to go in for this, but um yeah....SO that happened.  
> I'm not really sure where to go after this, and this is just what I have. Originally I was planning on making this longer but this about 1800 words I believe.  
> Enjoy!

 

Barry felt much better after his movie marathon with Len. It was comforting to know that Len was willing to let him be when he needed it. Len had offered to listen whenever Barry needed to talk to someone. 

The hero felt grateful towards the older man for it, even if he didn't plan to take him up on it.

So, his slightly uplifted mood was probably to blame for him standing on the porch of the West Household, ringing the doorbell. Iris answered the door, smiling. Her smile widened when she saw him. 

"Barry," she stepped aside to allow him in, closing the door once he did. 

"Hey Iris," he said, shrugging off his jacket. "Joe." He waved at them.

"Hey there Barr," Joe greeted, beaming and giving him a hug. "Didn't think you'd be coming tonight."

"Yeah, uh," Barry said, rubbing his hands together. "It was kinda last minute, I hope you don't mind?" 

"No, not at all," Joe said. 

"Great, thanks," he said. "Hey Wally," Barry greeted the younger man as they walked into the dining room. 

"Barry," Wall said, nodding to him. "Glad you could join us." It was said with that underlying bitterness and condensation that had kept Barry from coming all these weeks. 

Barry did his best to put on a convincing smile, like he was happy to finally be back. 

And that's what he did, all the way through dinner. Acting like all was good, making conversation, answering questions, adding little tidbits as he normally would. 

All through dinner, and part of the way through the family game time. Until he finally couldn't pretend anymore, and stood up, stretching and checking his phone. 

"I'm really sorry guys, but I think I'm going to call it an early night," he said regretfully.

 "Why? Is something wrong?" Joe asked, concerned. 

"Yeah, something the matter?" Wally asked, challenging.

"I'm just, really worn out," Barry said quickly. He yawned, as if on cue. Because it  _ was  _ on cue. "I've been working pretty late this week and have to get up early for work tomorrow. I'm really sorry," he repeated.

"No, it's alright Barr, go," Joe told him motioning him on. He knew he wasn't off the hook yet, Joe knew he didn't work tomorrow. "Get some rest. We'll see you later." 

"Alright," he said, "Goodnight you guys. Night Wally," he called, headed toward the door to grab his coat. 

"Yeah, night Barry," Wally said. "Hope you catch up on your sleep." A hidden sneer in the comment.  _ It's always something with you. You always have some excuse, don't you?  _

The young hero barely made it out the door before his act dropped, shattering into pieces on the front porch, a single tear running down his face and as he trudged down the steps. 

All his plans when out the window, and he took off at super speed, running straight towards Len's apartment, he phased through the door and stopped in the living room. 

"Len!" He called.

The thief appeared in an instant, cold gun pointed at him. It powered down almost as soon as it powered up, the other man set the weapon on the end table of the couch. 

"Scarlet?" He asked, blue orbs trained on the speedster. Studying him, examining him, checking him over for physical harm and then for signs of mental wounding. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Barry opened his mouth to explain, to say  _ something.  _ Instead, a strangled cry came from his throat, and tears ran down his face. "I'm sorry," he whispered, unable to say anything else. 

"I already told you kid," Len told him as he stepped closer and pulled him into a hug. "You have nothing to say sorry for. And you never had to be sorry with me." 

The speedster let him, pressing his face into the criminal's shoulder, inhaling his scent, his stomach doing a little flip. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. It could have been anywhere from minutes to hours to days. All Barry knew was that he never wanted to let go of Len. He never wanted to move. But eventually, Len pulled back from him. 

"Why don't you sit down, Kid," he guided the speedster to the cough. Barry did, and Len brought him a glass of water from the kitchen, handing it off to him as he took his seat. "Now, why don't you tell me what happened?" He prompted the younger man.

Barry took a sip of the water. "I went to the West House, for family night." 

"Oh," Len offered. 

Barry let out a shaky laugh, "Yeah. That was fun," he bitterly stated. "Wally still hates me, Iris and Joe still think they really do care about me. Except, they don't. They have their family. Iris has her real brother, and her fiance. Joe has his  _ real  _ son and soon to be son-in-law. I'm just me. Barry Allen, charity case and utter disappointment!" 

He didn't know where all the anger came from, but he couldn't stop it. Didn't want to anymore. "Barry Allen, who's mom was murdered! Who's dad was in prison. Barry Allen, the ten-year-old boy who believed a yellow blur killed his mom because he didn't believe his father could!  _ Poor Barry Allen!  _ Who no one believed before he  _ became  _ the impossible! Before he became the Flash! Who no one believed until Harrison Wells admitted to the crime!

"Poor Barry Allen, who was taken in out of the goodness of the West family. Was their family until their  _ real  _ blood came along. Then who is Barry Allen? Barry Allen is the disappointment. The offender! The outsider! Barry Allen couldn't save Ronnie! Barry Allen couldn't stop Wells by himself! He's not the fastest man alive! Barry Allen is the biggest fucking disappointment

"The poor boy whose own  _ father still doesn't want him!  _ ONce he got of jail, he left me! He left! He doesn't even want me in his life! Barry Allen is a failed forensic scientist.

"The Flash destroyed Central City, got thousands of innocents killed for  _ being alive!  _ For trying to be a hero! Then Joe says that I'm like a son to him! Asks if I'm still coming to Family Night! They might as well stop inviting me because it's not like it matters! It's not like I'm a  _ real  _ member of their family."

He didn't remember standing up, but he was pacing Len's living room. "Who else's like can I screw up today? Oh, I know! I'll go back and fuck with the timeline again! Where should I go to this time? Who should I erase from existence? Whose life should I permanently alter? The first time I did it on accident is the only reason Cisco is still  _ alive!  _ It's also the reason Iris and I aren't together! It's the reason Joe wasn't almost killed by Mardon! Why Central City isn't under water! 

"But one  _ fucking singularity and let's all blame Barry Allen.  _ And I wish I could say they don't have right to! Because they do!  _ They do!  _

"I'm the reasons Eobard Thawne came back in time!  _ I'm  _ the reason my mother's dead! The reason Ronnie died,  _ again _ !  _ I'm  _ why Eddie and Iris agreed they shouldn't ever have kids! Why they can't  _ actually  _ be happy! Why they're going to ask someone to be a sperm donor!

"I'm why Caitlin was kidnapped! I'm the reason Ferris Air could ever happened in the first place! It had nothing to do with you, or Lisa! It had everything to do with  _ me!  _ I was too fucking incapable to do it myself! You upheld your end of the deal!" He stopped, taking in ragged breaths. He looked at Len, who had been quiet the entire time Barry had been talking, trying to gauge his reaction. 

The older man looked thoughtful as he locked gazes with Barry. "I think," he said slowly and clearly, making sure he was understood. "That you need to stop blaming yourself for so much, Scarlet. But I also think, that you have a lot on your shoulders right now, and that the people that are your friends and family, who should be supporting you, aren't. And that's not on you. That's on them. And I want you to understand that." 

Barry stared at the older man, not sure what to say. Len continued to hold his gaze steadily, content to wait in the silence. 

"Where have you been all my life?" Was all Barry could think to say, before realizing what the words implied.

But Len just smiled. A small, genuine, smile, that made Barry's stomach do somersaults. "Stealing things, mostly." 

Barry laughed at that, and he felt lighter. He felt  _ better.  _ And that's when he knew, deep inside, that this wasn't going to be the last time he came to Len for support. And he was strangely okay with that. He sniffed a little, and Len studied him. 

"Scarlet," he said seriously. 

Barry looked at him, meeting his gazed again. "Yeah, Len?" 

"Do you need a hug?" He asked, still dead serious. 

Barry looked at him, then nodded. "Y-yeah. I think so." 

"Come here then," Len said, standing and holding out his arms. Barry did, hugging him tightly. 

Then the young hero started laughing, sniffling at the same time, but mostly laughing.

"What?" Len asked, pulling back.

He shook his head, smiling, "Nothing, it's just...I've never heard anyone be so serious about giving a hug before." 

"Hugs are not things to be taken lightly, Scarlet," Len deadpanned, but his small smirk gave him away. Barry only laughed harder at that. He didn't know why he found it so funny. He just did. Maybe he finally snapped.

"I think..." the vigilante told the criminal. "I'm broken." 

"I think..." the criminal responded. "That's okay. You're allowed to not have everything together, Barry. Most people don't."

"Do you?" Barry asked him before he could stop himself.

"No, I don't," Len said honestly. "Not even close." 

 

***

 

Barry stayed at Leonard's apartment that night, sleeping in the spare bedroom. Barry never thought that there would be a day when he'd have a friendship with the thief, or not a full one, anyway. He'd hoped, sure. He wished he'd met Len in different circumstances sometimes, because the banter they shared and the easy back-and-forth was always so natural, it was a shame it only happened as enemies. 

Barry had enjoyed fighting Leonard as Captain Cold, sure. But he liked this much better. He wasn't sure what it was, but he did like it. He knew it wasn't exactly a friendship. But now, he wasn't so sure he minded. Now, he found himself hoping for something else. Something different than a friendship. A warm feeling settled in his stomach as he drifted off to sleep. A warm feeling that felt like home. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. As always, comment/kudos if you liked and let me know about things I can improve and all that stuff.  
> Also, if you have any idea/suggestions, those are more than welcome! I was also thinking of maybe the next one being from Joe's pov? Another idea for the next or one of the next ones is more focus on Cisco? I swear he's around somewhere....But I was think more of either Cisco knowing his bro is having problems, or maybe a short thing with Lisa and Cisco? Let me know what you think in the comments please!


End file.
